Page 14 of Monsters in Love

She is rigid for a moment and I brace to hear more of her sharp words. But she melts against me, and sighs, inhaling deeply. She nuzzles more of her face against my chest and murmurs some words I can’t hear. I want to ask her, but her body relaxes completely, and soon, the rise and fall of her steady breathing matches the twin heart beat within me.

She is asleep.

Joy expands in my chest, and I increase my pace. A shelter is only a few steps away. Even now, I see the knot of brambles open for me.

Perfect timing, as a portal tears open somewhere nearby. I see a fleeting glimpse of the blue-limned light that shows a wormhole.

They’re too late. I slip Karis into the welcoming haven of the brambles. With a silent apology, I tear the offending dress from her. Swaddling her in my jacket once more, I adjust it until it covers her to her knees. I encourage the brambles to close while I scatter shredded pieces of her cloth in random directions.

The hunting party follows the false trails, and I return to the safety of the temporary nest. In a few hours, the labyrinth will reset, and this trail which seems to have veered away from our target location, will once more connect to the temple at the heart of the maze. From there, it’s an easy walk back to the Nexus.

Meanwhile, as Karis sleeps, I can strategize how I may find rest when her body is ripening for her heat. This will be a long night.

Bronn

There’s noise outside. The fools have finally made their way back here. The way they stumble in the dark, I am not bothered.

They are not walking with purpose, so they do not know our location.

With the way they are arguing, the males are likely to kill each other before the labyrinth can take care of them.

“She’s mine, or have you forgotten?” The slimy voice must belong to the buyer.

“Until your money is in my hand and my signed contract is in yours, she still belongs to me!” the satyr snarls.

My hand covers Karis’s mouth as her eyes fly open. I press my lips against the delicate shell of her ear.

She freezes, eyes wide. I hate seeing her fear. What did the satyr do that causes this reaction? Stupidly, recklessly, I press my lips against her brow and kiss the crinkles away until they are smooth.

I ignore the curious way she looks at me. Instead, I press my finger to my lips, a universal sign for silence.

And we need silence. One of the party is a hunter, and there are a couple of Taurine guards. Drugged or no, they are still bound to serve their master.

I place my hand against her stomach, holding her still. Karis flinches once, but relaxes under my touch, moving closer to me. Good.

The brambles are thick, and I won’t allow them to open. But they’re still thorns, and if they think to set this part of the labyrinth ablaze, there is little protection I can do that won’t give away our location.

I bet they will not, though. Not on a whim. There would be a lot to risk burning parts of the labyrinth unnecessarily. They move away, but I am still overly cautious. I refuse to take chances with Karis here.

“They have moved away, but their absence could still be a trap. We should stay quiet and hidden, at least for a while longer,” I say.

Karis nods, shifting her body again, and I press down reflexively so that she knows to keep still. She nuzzles the side of my face with her cute nose. I am a horrible person for being aroused by every little move she makes while she is probably scared out of her mind.

And then a hot little tongue licks against my earlobe. I must be imagining things. It happens again, and this time it’s sucked between luscious lips.

I gaze down at her, wondering if I’m hallucinating, and her sly smile is answer enough. Without breaking eye contact, she places her elegant hand over mine and pushes it down her body. I follow her lead until I am cupping her sex.

I find her wet and open for me, and gods, I want to see her.

“Karis–”

She sucks in the rest of my words into a soul-searing kiss. Her mouth opens beneath mine and there is that tempting tongue once more, searching for me. I yield and taste her sweet offerings.

Her hand curls over mine once more, directing my fingers inside her as she spreads her legs wide in invitation. I press inside of her, the hot, slippery feel of her so addictive. I add another finger, then another, reveling in how she stretches for me. More would be required for her to accommodate me.

I do not want to injure her. Even if a heat-induced mating overrides her pain receptors to feel only pleasure, overzealous rutting males have damaged a female in the height of her heat. Caution and self-preservation are secondary to her need to mate.

I would die a thousand deaths before I inflicted any injury upon Karis. Yet, I know that the fastest way to end a heat cycle is to fill her so thoroughly with seed that she is satisfied.

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